Phillies' future suddenly bleaker than Mets'

Team A is four games under .500, has been riddled by injuries, has All-Stars, MVPs and Cy Young Award winners scattered throughout its lineup and pitching staff, and won a World Series with its current core.

Team B is 12 games under .500, has a roster stacked with unfamiliar names and the worst team batting average (.228 entering Sunday) in baseball. They'd need a miracle to sniff the playoffs and are, generally speaking, bereft of talent.

Team A is the Phillies. Team B is the Mets. Yet despite the current state of both teams, I’d rather be Team B.

It's evident the Phillies (36-40) are a team that has lost its way. They're mired in mediocrity, with too many question marks on its roster to overcome. How else do you explain the worst bullpen in baseball working alongside one of the worst offenses? It's a combination that will make it awfully difficult to put together another playoff run.

Even manager Charlie Manuel has doubts about his current ball club. After questioning whether there are enough players in his clubhouse who can self-motivate and play hard every day, the Phillies' skipper publicly pondered whether his team was good enough to put together any sort of prolonged winning streak.

“I wonder if we can do that,” Manuel said following an 8-0 loss to the Mets, the seventh time his team was shutout this season. The Phillies were shutout just six times all of last year.

This kind of extended incompetence demands you step back and look at the big picture. Where exactly are these Phillies headed?

For the Phillies, the future is scary. As for the Mets, National League East dreck the past five seasons, there are signs of hope.

One of the main reasons was on the mound Sunday afternoon when the Mets took two of three in a series the Phillies really needed at Citizens Bank Park. Matt Harvey, the Mets’ 24-year-old wunderkind, looked every bit as good as he has most of his rookie season.

The hitting-challenged Phillies didn’t stand a chance. With a runner on first and ahead 3-1 in the count in the second inning, Dom Brown was blown away by consecutive fastballs. Two batters later, Ben Revere was severely overmatched, looking more than ever like a minor league hitter when one of Harvey's fastballs reached 100 miles per hour.

The Phillies finished with two hits in six innings against Harvey, who was only knocked out early by a rain delay, not the Phillies’ powerful (in name only) lineup. Harvey struck out six and proceeded to watch LaTroy Hawkins and Brandon Lyon complete the emasculation.

It's been evident since his major league debut that Harvey (7-1) is that rare piece the Mets can build around. Every indication is that he’s the real deal. His teammates know it and the so does the opposition.

“He’s a very talented guy. Talking to a couple guys I know on the Mets they all rave about his makeup,” Phillies third baseman Michael Young said before comparing Harvey to some of the best pitchers in the game.

“[Justin] Verlander jumps out because he holds his velocity throughout the game. Felix [Hernandez] was like that too. [Harvey's] command is the most important thing though. … Combined with his great stuff, that is why he is having a lot of success.”

The comparisons to Verlander and Hernandez say it all. The Mets have Harvey and the recently recalled Zack Wheeler, 23, at the top of their rotation for years to come. The Phillies have a struggling Cole Hames, 29, and Cliff Lee, 34, for who knows how long. At this pace, it won’t be for the remainder of the season. Lee, one of the Phillies’ top assets, is likely to be moved if they keep losing and are left with no choice but to clean house.

The only player on the Phillies roster they can build around right now is left fielder Dom Brown. The rest of the starting lineup is either struggling with injuries or on the wrong side of their prime.

The Mets have David Wright, 30, and not a lot else, both in terms of talent and financial commitments. New York has a $102 million payroll this season. Somewhere around $60 million comes off the books after this season when the injured Johan Santana and Frank Francisco become free agents and Jason Bay (currently playing in Seattle) is paid in full.

The Phillies are at $171 million this season. They’ll have around $50 million in contracts expire after this year, but are tied to the declining Ryan Howard for three more years, Jimmy Rollins likely for two more and Hamels for another five. They also have a lot of holes and likely less money to fill them.

If the Wilpons, who own the Mets, ever get their financial situation settled — a big if right now — and allow general manager Sandy Alderson to open their wallet, the future could be bright in New York. The Mets could soon be the National League East team on the rise with the Phillies taking over the role of rebuilders.

The Phillies have an entire roster to retool and a minor league system considered by most to be below average. The Mets have the advantage there as well. New York's minor league system was ranked 16th by Baseball America coming into the season. The Phillies were 24th.

If the prognostications are correct, the Mets should have more money to spend and produce more young players from within over the next few years. The NL East could be in for a change, with the Phillies falling even further and the Mets making a run at Atlanta and Washington.

In this case, who would you rather be going forward: Team A or Team B? Seems like a no-brainer.